The City of Murfreesboro has received notice of $5.58 million in State Industrial Access (SIA) funding for the Sazerac Distillery Development Public Road, according to a press release.
The funds will reimburse the city on eligible expenses for construction of an access road from Florence Road to the Sazerac site driveway.
“It is my understanding that it will be the Department’s responsibility to provide project oversight and review plans. The City will be responsible for acquiring right-of-way, coordinating utility relocations, obtaining permits, engineering, obtaining the environmental document, and construction," TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said in an approval letter to the Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland.
The City of Murfreesboro Transportation Department applied for the funding assistance following Council approval in April of the annexation and zoning of property along Asbury Road for the Sazerac Distillery on 55 acres east of I-24.
Sazerac anticipates opening the distillery by early 2020 and has agreed to pay up to $1.25 million in road funding for the project. Three additional private partners are participating in a Road Development Agreement and will provide right-of-way and partial funding for the road segments affecting their properties.
“We are pleased to receive this significant State Industrial Access Road funding from TDOT for the Sazerac Distillery development,” said City Transportation Director Jim Kerr. “The committed funding will allow us to move forward with plans for roadway improvements in support of this rapidly growing industry in Tennessee and soon to include Murfreesboro.”
The proposed roadway extension would be approximately 5700 feet in length to include a five (5) lane cross-section with curb and gutter, designed for multi-use path and sidewalk features all within a proposed one hundred (100) foot right-of-way.
Two additional road segments of approximately 1,200 feet in length and designed as a three-lane cross-section roadway with curbs, gutter and sidewalks in a 60-foot right-of-way will also be constructed to make the final connection to the Sazerac property.
SEC of Murfreesboro has been selected as the design firm and Griggs and Maloney of Murfreesboro is providing environmental services for the project.
TDOT implements the Industrial Highway Act through the department’s State Industrial Access (SIA) Program based on project eligibility, economic criteria, physical constraints, and available funding. An “Industrial Highway” is defined as any road or street designated and located to provide access to an industry site or industrial park. An Industrial Highway cannot be constructed on private property and must be a public road open to traffic.
The Industrial Highway Act of 1959 (T.C.A. 54-5-403) authorized the Tennessee Department of Transportation to contract with cities and counties for the development of “Industrial Highways” to provide access to industrial areas and to facilitate the development and expansion of industry within the State of Tennessee.
A detailed contract agreement between the City and TDOT will be signed later. The City Council approved Resolution R18-R-08 in support for the project.
The City 2040 Major Transportation Plan calls for a multi-million-dollar Cherry Lane extension connecting Memorial Boulevard with Northwest Broad Street including a new interchange at I-840. The 2040 Plan includes a proposed connection between Cherry Lane at Northwest Broad Street and a future I-24 interchange. The Sazerac access road is a portion of this connector currently named MTI-11 for its designation as Mid-Term Improvement #11 on the 2040 Plan. Sazerac would be located on acreage just east of the new MTI-11 connector and
interchange near Florence Road.
